Can avocados help fight leukaemia?

A substance that is naturally present in avocados may be able to help fight leukaemia, according to new research.Professor Paul Spagnuolo of the University of Waterloo has been exploring how avocatin B - one of the natural fats found in the foodstuff - affects people's health, finding that it may have significant benefits in terms of fighting acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).Statistics from Cancer Research show that the disease proves fatal within five years for 90 per cent of the individuals aged 65 and over who are diagnosed with it, but Professor Spagnuolo believes that his new avocado drug may help to lower these mortality rates in the future.He has carried out numerous rounds of tests to help him discover the full extent to which avocatin B can target the life-threatening illness, with his studies focusing on stem cells, which are the part of the body where leukaemia tends to manifest.The lead study author said that the results of his experiments with avocatin B 'confirmed that it targets stem cells selectively, leaving healthy cells unharmed'.While the new drug is currently years away from being approved for use in AML patients, work is underway to develop the medication so it is in a position to be tested in official clinical trials.Professor Spagnuolo's research is extremely innovative, as he is one of only a few scientists around the world searching for potential pharmaceutical treatments in compounds derived from food, which are known as nutraceuticals.Explaining why he prefers this research method, he stated: 'Extracts are less refined. The contents of an extract can vary from plant to plant and year to year, depending on lots of factors - on the soil, the location, the amount of sunlight, the rain.'This approach provides a clearer understanding of how the nutraceutical works and it means we can reproduce the effects more accurately and consistently.'

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